Don't feel like calling yourself?
Are you someone who doesn't like calling or always forgets what you had to ask? Or are you just too busy to wait in line until you get a company on the phone? Google has the solution for that, Google Assistant. For all Apple users, it is similar to Siri. However, Google Assistant is getting more and more features. The latest feature is that Google Assistant can now make appointments for you over the phone. Instead of having to make time to call yourself, you can pass on the details to Google and Assistant will then call the company to make an appointment.
How does Google Assistant work?
The voice sounds very natural. And the person on the other end had no idea she was talking to a digital AI helper. CEO Sundar Pichai indicated that this was a real call using Assistant and not a 'fake' demo. He also explains how special it is that the assistant really understands the conversation and has an answer to everything. This technology that they have been working on in recent years is called Google Duplex. Duplex really feels like using artificial intelligence at the highest level. But Pichai indicated that it is still very much in development. Google plans to test Duplex Assistant early this summer.
They then play a second conversation. In this conversation, the person from the restaurant occasionally does not understand what is being asked. But even then, the assistant always knows how to answer. Pichai says the assistant can respond intelligently even if a conversation doesn't go as expected and deviates slightly from the given goal.
In current testing, Google notes that Duplex completes most conversations and tasks on its own without the intervention of a Google person. But there are cases where it becomes overwhelming and the call is handed over to a human operator. That is why Google will continue to test and adapt this technology in the near future. And who knows, maybe in a while we won't have to wait in line to get the doctor on the phone.